Hand corn-planter



(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. A. REOTOR.

HAND CORN PLANTER.

No. 460,990. Patented Oct. 13, 1891 THE mums Pz'rzas 00., Pwnmmna, msamurou, :14 c4 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. A. HECTOR.

HAND UORN PLANTBR.

NO. 460,990. Patented Oct. 13, 1891.

Edit csszs Jmad A 1266207;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. RECTOR, OF LANCASTER, MISSOURI.

HAND GORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 460,990, dated October 13,1891.

Application filed July 21, 1891. $en'al No. 400,213- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMEs A. REcToR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lancaster, in the county of Schuyler and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Hand Corn-Planter, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in hand corn-planters of that particular class employing a pair of pivoted levers terminating at their lower ends in blades and adapted to discharge the grain by the opening and closing of the levers.

The objects of my invention are to provide means for cleaning the blades or freeing the same from adhering soil at each operation of the levers.

' Heretofore in this class of planters a great drawback to their use has been found in the fact that whenever the device is employed in moist soil, or soil anywise sticky, portions thereof would adhere to the blades at the lower end of the levers, and thus clog or choke the space between the same and prevent or at least obstruct the free discharge of the corn. Such adherence upon the part of the soil requires the operator to cease the operation of planting and by the aid of a knife, stick, stone, or other convenient article attempt to remove the soil. This results in a loss of time to the operator, and is also a continual nuisancc. By my invention I obviate this objection by means hereinafter apparent, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of a corn-planter provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a similar section, the levers being closed. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section. Fig. 5 is a detail in perspective of the attachment.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 1 designate the opposite levers, which are provided at their upper ends with the handles 2 2 and near their lower ends are pivotally connected, as at 3, by the pair of opposite brackets 4. Below the brackets the levers terminate in the furrow-forming blades 5.

6 designates the seed-box or hopper, which is secured to one of the levers, while to the opposite lever is rigidly connected the seedslide-operating bar 7, all of the usual construction. To the opposite edges of the levers, near the upper ends of the same, are pivoted, as at 8, pairs of metal straps 9, which straps are connected at their inner ends by a trans verse pivoting-bolt 10, thus forming the straps into a pair of toggle-levers. From the togglelevers there depends a loose metal strap 11, which is supported by means of a transverse bolt.

Riveted to the strap, as at 12, and depending from the same at its opposite sides is a pair of vertical rods 13, the lower ends of which are embraced by and riveted, as at 1i, to a pair of U shaped s 'iring-blades 15, which blades are curved in opposite directions, so as to take against the inner surfaces of the blades of the levers.

Below the toggle-levers openings 16 are formed, and through the same are passed the terminals of a limiting-strap 17, the outer ends of the strap being disposed in opposite directions outside of the openings and secured by screws 18 to the levers 1.

In operation the lovers 1 are first opened at their upper ends, so as to close their lower blades, and the latter are then inserted into the ground. The upper ends of the levers are then closed, so as to form an opening or furrow and cause the seed-slide to be operated, so as to drop a grain therein. It will be seen that as the levers l are opened at their upper ends the toggle-levers are straightened, and hence the movable blades or scrapers, through the medium of their connecting-rods, elevated above the blades of the levers 1. By means of the limiting-strap the separation of the blades is regulated or limited, so that the toggle-levers cannot pass beyond or quite into alignment, and hence are not prevented from properly operating the scrapers. As the lovers 1 are brought together at their upper ends, at which time the planter is elevated ready for a reinsertion, immediately after the discharge of the seed said toggle-levers are broke and forced downward at their joints, so as to force the scrapers over the blades, and as the scrapers are yieldingly in contact with the blades all adhering soil is removed from the blades.

From the foregoing descriptiomtaken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

it will be obvious that I provide a cheap and simple attachment for hand corn-planters, whereby the blades of the same are automatically scraped at each opening of the planter and thus freed from adhering soil, so that the operation of the machine need not be stopped for the purpose of cleaning the blades.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination, with the opposite levers of a hand corn-planter, of a pair of intermediate scrapers and means for reciprocating them at the opening and closing of the levers, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, With the opposite levers of a hand corn-planter, of a pair of opposite pivoted toggle-levers located at the up- .per ends of the levers, rods depending from the toggle-levers, and scraper-blades connected to the rods and mounted for reciprocation over the blades at the bottom of the planter, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the opposite levers'of a hand corn-planter, of a pair of 0pposite pivoted toggle-levers located at the upper ends of the levers, rods depending from the joints of the toggle-levers, and curved spring scraper-blades connected to the rods and vieldingly pressed against and adapted to reciprocate over the blades of the levers, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with the opposite pivoted levers of a hand corn-planter, of a pair of opposite toggle-levers pivoted to the opposite edges of the levers, rods depending from the joints of the toggle-levers and having the scraper-blades and adapted to reciprocate the same over the blades of the cornplanter, and a limiting device for limiting the separation of the levers, substantially as specified.

5. The combination, with the opposite levers of a hand corn-planter, of a pair of togglelevers pivotally connected at their endsto the opposite edges of the levers, a bolt passed through the joints of the toggle-levers, a metal strap loosely mounted on the bolt, a pair of depending rods clamped by and riveted to the strap, curved spring-blades connected to thelower ends of the rods and bearing against the blades of the levers, and a flexible limit ing-strap having its ends passed through openings formed in the levers and reversely turned and secured to the levers, substantially as specified.

6. In combination With the opposite levers of a hand corn-planter, the curved spring scraper-blades connected to the levers and operated by the movement of the same and yieldingly pressed against and adapted to reciprocate over the inner faces of the blades at the bottom of the planter, substantially as I described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES A. RECTOR.

Vitnesses:

SAMUEL A. DYsART, NAT. M. SHELroN. 

